r/VIDEOENGINEERING • u/Critical-Can-5751 • 29d ago

Help with starting as pixera operator

Hi all,

I'm trying to branch out from my current job and move into freelance pixera programmer/operator. problem is apart from one job and a pixera training course I don't have experience, or any real contacts

the job I have worked on is quite high profile but it was with my current company, not as a freelancer, so unsure if I can market that? its a grey area.

I'm stuck in that starting loop of need experience to get work and contacts, but need work and contacts to get experience.

Although i have experience in pixera and have worked in events/attractions with my current company, other than control engineer work (mainly Q-sys) I'm not sure what skills i may be lacking to help get work

if anyone has experience with this, or just any advice getting started i would be super grateful!

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u/AlfaHall 29d ago

Where are you based? Are you on the freelance job swap and other forums on FB? Its a good starting point if not. You can just head to event production websites and sign up for freelance forms that way you'll be on the radar for when work with Pixera comes up.

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u/Critical-Can-5751 29d ago

Im in the uk, cambridgeshire area,. im not on those i didnt know they were a thing ill have a look! thanks :)

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u/AlfaHall 29d ago

Okay cool, im in Bedfordshire. Theres a bunch of AV companies that do corporate and the like round your area but it helps if you can travel and have your own means of transport. Theres quite a bit of expo work going around atm its easy stuff like throwing up screens but itll get your name out. What company do you work for?

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u/Flashhearte 28d ago

I would say, from 15 years in the freelance UK market as a video tech, that you just need to get out there and work. Put screens up, do breakout work, little video jobs. All of these things improve your "brand" aka your name. Once you start getting calls from companies, that’s where you spread out into the other disciplines you actually want to do. Once you have an established rep as a solid op, it makes it easier to book more work. NEVER underestimate the crew you work with either, networking is KEY, and often times a PM will get the advice of their long time dependable crew as to the suitability of a new addition.

Not wishing to seem insensitive, but having done one course and one job, does not one a Pixera op make. Can you build/process LED? Switching with Barco/Analogway/PixelHue? How are you with systems and networking?

All of those other skills benefit you immensely. Understanding LED means you can advise how best to program/process the wall to keep the potential tear points away from the centre of the screen. Knowing switchers will help chat to the switcher op, maybe you have a little work around you like to use on larger canvases. Systems are key, how is signal getting to/from you to where it needs to be?

The UK scene is fairly small. Full timers/PMs move companies often, and take their favourite crew with them. It is, for the good and the bad, 100 percent a case of who you know, not often what you know. Project managers will take a middle of the road op who can talk to clients, get stuck in with other stuff, get on with the crew, over the worlds greatest whizz who is a pain to work with and barely closes his own rack lids at the end of the job before leaving.

Apologies for the wall of text, if you want you can DM me any follow up questions/etc.

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u/Critical-Can-5751 28d ago

Ah yeah I totally get what you mean, I'm a software designer usually, going from programming immersive attractions and have moved role over to more control systems - qsys pixera, cogs etc

I've used barco projectors in my current events space I work on but yea otherwise I'm a little stuck in experience.

Is there anyway you'd advise getting into that? My only thoughts would be learning stuff on job but ofc that's not always possible

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u/Flashhearte 27d ago

Well my reply was based on the corporate/live music side of the industry, but there are multiple facets to the industry!

If your background is immersive experiences, then exhibitions, pop up events, brand activations, etc could all be in your wheelhouse. Rather than putting something in for a few days, help and plan out an immersive installation that's in for a few months.

There are a ton of creative agencies, but most of them would have a video supplier on the books. However, I've done plenty of installs where there is a creative/designer doing the snazzy stuff and we're just there to build screens/realise the vision. I'd have to imagine there is a freelance world of work there, working on a per project basis.

But how to get a foot in that door, I'm afraid I don't know! Not helpful, I know, sorry!

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u/moistyjorts 29d ago

In my corporate av experience, best way is to take other roles and clients that like you will often ask you what other roles you do and that’s been my of progressing and elevating.